Alexandria teen, Elizabeth Ohl, is back in Ohio after competing against 49 other state representatives for scholarships in the 61st annual Distinguished Young Women (DYW) competitions in Mobile, Alabama.

DYW is a national organization that provides scholarship opportunities to high school girls. Each year, representatives from all 50 states participate in competitions and are ultimately evaluated in scholastics, interview, talent, fitness, and self-expression for thousands of dollars towards future schooling.

Ohl was named Distinguished Young Woman of Ohio after competing against 40 other young women in the "Ohio At-Large" category. Twenty finalists were then invited to Mt. Vernon to participate in the state competition. After dueling it out in all five categories, Ohl was announced the state winner.

"Words can't even describe how I felt," Ohl said. "I was not expecting it at all."

Alexandria-native Elizabeth Ohl, who has been playing piano since 1st grade, preformed "Interstellar Main Theme" for the talent category in the 61st annual Distinguished Young Women competitions.(Photo: Provided by the Ohl family)

On the 28th of June, DYW state representatives were taken to Mobile, Alabama for a two-week period. According to Ohl, much of the time was spent visiting the state's colleges, enjoying local cuisine, participating in services projects, such as working at local food pantries, and rehearsing for the big show.

The national competition lasted three days and was held in front of a crowd of five judges and roughly a thousand audience members.

Ohl performed the piano piece “Interstellar Main Theme" for her talent performance. For her interview, she answered questions about current events and futures plans. Perhaps the most exciting category for her, though, was the fitness competitions.

Ohl was among the winners of preliminary fitness category, making her the first Ohioan to win a category award in nationals since 1991.

Alexandria-native Elizabeth Ohl was among the winners of the preliminary fitness category in the 61st annual Distinguished Young Women (DYW) competitions in Mobile, Alabama.(Photo: Provided by the Ohl family)

Despite the high stakes of the competition, though, Ohl said there was no hostility among competitors.

"I made 49 new friends," Ohl said. "All the girls were so nice, you forgot you were competing against them."

Ohl said she would encourage every high school girl to consider participating in DYW. Many girls think it's a beauty pageant, she said, but it is not that at all. It's a chance to show off hard-earned skills and talents. She called the whole process "an amazing experience."

She walked away from the state and national competitions with a total of $7,750 in scholarships.

Ohl is a 2018 graduate of Newark Catholic High School. She will be attending The Ohio State University in the fall where she will pursue biology on a pre-veterinary track.